Joe sighed heavily. “We aren't criminals. This is a job. One we regret taking. Trust me, we want Frank to head back to the States as much as you do. Now how about you cooperate and we’ll get this over with?”
She twisted in his hold and glared up at him. “You've never been in a serious relationship, have you? I bet the only women you're used to are the ones you pay to do as they're told. Well listen up, buster, you're about to learn something important. Real women, normal women, don't get paid by the hour to follow orders.”
Joe frowned at her while there was a bark of laughter from the front of the van.
Jena's head snapped towards Grunt. “I don't know why you're laughing. Do you think your innocent little school teacher will want you now you've kidnapped her brother's girlfriend?”
“Mine,” Grunt practically roared.
Joe winced. “Ignore him. He does that. He's got a possessive streak a mile wide when it comes to Claire.” He lowered his voice, until Jena was sure she was the only one who could hear him. “Unless you want him beating his chest and climbing the nearest tall building with a roar, it'd be good idea not to yank his chain.”
Yeah, like she was going to listen to that advice. She rolled her eyes at the idiot holding her. “Hey, Animal Man,” she called to Grunt. “First thing I'm doing when I'm free is have a very long, and detailed, chat with your girlfriend. Even if she still wants to see you after that, you'll need to get past her brother and half of Scotland's police force to do it.”
The noise that echoed through the van was a mixture of angry gorilla and disgruntled Hulk.
She flashed an evil grin at the back of Grunt's head. “How about you turn this van around and I won't talk to Claire? This can be our secret. Right now all you've done is take me for a little ride. That's all. I bet we can get back to the shop before anyone even notices I'm missing. You can still save your relationship with Claire. You want that, don't you, Grunt?”
Grunt shot a look at Joe. She could see the indecision in his eyes, and for a moment she thought she had him.
“Don't even think about it,” Joe snapped. “You know the alternative. I'll help you do damage control with Claire. She'll understand. Eventually. Keep this van heading forward.”
With a frustrated grunt, the big man turned his attention back to the road.
“I don't see how you can fix this,” Jena told them both. “I'm a woman—trust me, kidnapping another woman isn't something you get over.”
A beefy hand covered her mouth.
“I like you better when you can't talk,” Joe said.
Jena let out a muffled wail. There was nothing she could do now but stew until they reached their destination.
27
Matt, Lake and two of his men piled into their cars and headed north out of Invertary. Witnesses had seen a white van loitering in the alley. They'd assumed it was delivering to the post office, but that didn't check out. Someone else described Grunt as the driver. A woman said she glimpsed Joe, Grunt and Jena in the alley at the time Jena was taking out the trash. It was more than enough evidence to convince Matt that the men had taken Jena. Harry worked his magic online and found a van had been rented to Joe Barone in Fort William that morning. He then hacked into the speed camera network and managed to get a general direction for them to follow. Matt knew Harry would hijack a satellite if it would help them find Jena.
“They turned off the highway onto Robertson Road.” Harry's voice came over loud and clear in the earpiece Lake had given Matt.
“They're probably heading to the old mill,” Lake said over the shared line.
Lake was following Matt in his SUV, along with two of his men, Jason and Rusty.
Matt tamped down the feral rage that fought to overtake him. “I don't get this. Why take her like this? What can they hope to accomplish?”
“We know Frank is desperate to talk her into going back with him, and this move smacks of desperation,” Lake said.
“At least this gives you the legal reason you need to kick him out of Scotland.” Jason’s voice joined the conversation.
“If I don't kill him first and bury his body in the hills,” Matt mumbled.
There was laughter in his ear.
“Your mic is live, cuz,” Harry said. “If you're plotting murder, you might not want to confess publically beforehand.”
Matt scowled. He wasn't plotting murder. He was finding it hard to think straight, never mind plot. All he wanted was to bring Jena home and hurt Frank. Was that asking too much?
“I'm not going to kill him,” Matt said tightly. “But if my fist slips a few times in the direction of his face, that would be fine.”
“You do have that strange muscular tic,” Harry said with humour in his voice. “I've often seen your arm fly out without conscious effort. Wouldn't be your fault if it happened around Frank. It is a stress-related condition, and this is stressful.”
There was more laughter. Matt let out a tight sigh. “Unless she's in physical danger, we don't strike out. Let's do this by the book.”
Sometimes it sucked to be a cop.
“What book?” Lake said. “You're the only cop here. My book is different from yours.”
“Yeah,” Jason said. “Lake's book is way more fun. It's thinner and has fewer rules.”
Matt gritted his teeth. It took all of his self-control not to set the men loose. “My book,” he said. “We follow my book.”
“Killjoy,” Jason muttered as they turned into Robertson Road.
In the distance, Matt could see the roof of the old mill. “You're sure they went this way?” he said, knowing Harry could hear him.
“One hundred percent certain,” his cousin said. “The only thing down that road is the mill, Robertson Gully and Braden Stream. People tend to pick buildings to conduct nefarious business. I don't know why. I would go somewhere more intimidating. Like Glencoe. Glencoe scares the crap out of me.”
“Harry,” Matt said tersely.
Harry cleared his throat. “Probably they need a safe place to keep her for a while and think it would be harder for her to escape from a building, so Glencoe wouldn't work for them.”
They better not be planning to keep Jena. Matt's blood boiled at the thought.
“Stop at the tree line.” Lake’s voice broke into his rage. “We'll go in on foot. Don't want to spook anyone into doing something foolish.”
“Something more foolish than kidnapping Matt's girlfriend?” Harry said.
They'd taken her to an old abandoned building in the middle of nowhere. The whole setup screamed cliché, and made Jena wonder if they'd learned how to be mobsters by watching HBO specials. Joe didn't bother making her walk; he carried her through the doors and into a room full of rusting machinery. Frank was leaning against the doorjamb of what looked like the old office. He was dressed in a black suit, white shirt, polished shoes and gold bling. Jena felt like she was looking at a stranger. The Frank she'd met had worn jeans and T-shirts all the time. But then, he'd also kept his pecker in his pants and didn't act like he had a role in The Godfather.
“Jena.” He oozed fake sincerity. “I'm sorry it had to come to this. I need to talk to you, baby, and you're not making it easy.”
Jena shrugged off her abductors. “There's a reason for that, Frank. The reason being I don't want to talk to you. Not now. Not ever. How about you jump on a plane back home and leave me in peace.”
He placed a hand flat on his chest, where his heart would have been if he had one. His smile was the one that used to make her feel weak at the knees. Now it made her feel nauseated.
“You wound me, baby,” he said. “I came all this way to get you back and you won't even hear me out. I need to tell you I'm sorry. I love you, baby. Come back home with me. We'll start over. Things will be better.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You don't screw around on people you love, Frank.”
“It was an accident.” He worked at being sincere. If she didn't know him so well, she wou
ld have believed him. “An error in judgment. Surely you can't hold one mistake against me after years together?”
Jena pretended to think about it while anger built like steam ready to blow. “Ah, yes, I can hold it against you.”
“I wasn't thinking.” He moved towards her. She'd seen this before too. The lazy sexual walk, the heated look in his eye, the small smile promising sensual delight. She almost laughed. How had she never noticed his acting ability in all the time she was living with him? There was only one reason for her ignorance. She'd wanted to believe him. How pathetic was that?
“Baby, I want you back.” He stroked the curve of her jaw. “Tell me what I need to do to get you back and I'll do it. We were meant to be together. I can't function without you.”
Great, now his dialogue was being written by Hallmark. She narrowed her eyes.
“You want me back? Really? You'd do anything to get me in your life again?”
“You know it. I'm nothing without you. I screwed up, but I can change. Forgive me and we'll start over. Tell me what to do to make it happen.”
“That's easy, Frank. All you need to do is give up your club and move to Invertary to be with me.”
She watched as a whole slew of emotions rushed across his face. Fear, panic, anger. Then just as quickly as his control had slipped, it was back again, and his features were schooled into a look of regret and longing. A look that made Jena want to kick her own ass for ever believing Frank Di Marco cared more about her than he did for himself.
“I can't do that.” He sounded regretful; heartbroken, even—and if she believed him, she was ready to buy a bridge. He ran his hands over her arms until he held her hands. The touch of his skin against hers made her feel revulsion.
“I can't pull out of my business arrangement with the Rizzoni family. I'm contractually obligated to do my part. I need to make sure the club is a success.” He looked earnest. “I got at least a year’s worth of commitment to them. Come back with me, baby, and once the club is going strong, we can move back here.” He licked his lips as calculation briefly flashed in his eyes. “We could maybe even get back sooner if you helped with the business. And”—he looked sheepish—“you could keep an eye on me at the same time.”
Obviously Frank didn’t know she was well aware of what her part in the business would be. Yet, for some reason, she had to hear him say it. She had to hear him tell her he only wanted her so she could strip for him.
“I don't know, Frank.” She worked at sounding as though she was being swayed. She could act too. “I don't know what I could do at the club. I don't have any experience with business.”
His eyes flashed with victory. He believed she was hooked. “Baby, you can dance. You know the city’s been desperate to see you dance. You'd be a headliner at the club. You'd have it all—your own dressing room, name in lights. People queuing to watch you perform. It's your dream.”
No. It wasn't. It had never been her dream. She'd performed and danced because she couldn't do anything else. But it wasn't her dream. Especially not the kind of dancing Frank was offering.
“You think people would flock to see a go-go dancer?” She batted her eyelashes at him.
He clenched his jaw as a flash of frustration escaped. “Baby, we're a strip club. You know we're classy, but we don't need a go-go dancer.” He stepped closer to her and lowered his voice until it was pure honey. “We need a headline stripper. We need you. With your skills and reputation, you could put on a real class act. We'd be together, baby. Working side by side. Building something good together.”
Jena hid her anger to give him the same faux-innocent look that Katy used. “I don't know if I can work day in and out with all the women you’ve screwed, Frank.”
His grip tightened on her hands, and for a second she saw a flash of brutality in his eyes. What would he do to get what he wanted? How far would he go? Jena realised in that moment she’d never really known him. She'd been living with a figment of her imagination.
“I'm staying here, Frank. I have a house here. A home. Find another woman. Find another dancer.”
She tried to move away from him, but he held her tight.
“No. I need you.” His lips tightened. “You don’t have a house. You have a dump. I don’t know why you’re desperate to hold on to it. It’s nothing. You're coming back with me. You're going to dance in the club and we're going to start again.”
“I'm not stripping for you.”
“What's the big deal? You dance in the clubs wearing barely anything. Everyone can see your tits anyway. So what if you take your clothes off? Is it too much to ask to save our future?”
“Our future? We have no future. You threw it away when you screwed your staff.”
“Grow up. It wasn't a big deal. It was only sex. You’re my woman. You have your place. You don't need to feel threatened by a bit of pussy. Just ignore it. That's what the other women do.”
Jena stilled. “The other women? What other women?”
Frank let out an aggravated grunt. “The Rizzoni women. They know their place and the benefits of staying in it.”
“Listen to yourself. You honestly believe that's okay. That a woman should turn a blind eye to her man screwing around.”
“I have needs you weren't meeting, baby. If you'd stepped up and kept your man happy, we wouldn't be in this situation.”
Jena gasped. “You did not just say that.”
“I'm done with this shit.” Frank sneered. “We're going home. Now. You're gonna strip and you’re gonna shut your mouth about my extracurricular activities. I shoulda put my foot down with you when Vince told me to. Instead I had to be gentle with you, and now look where we are: you're throwing a tantrum and running halfway round the world to make your point. And I'm chasing you like some dumbass loser. I'm through playing nice. You need to learn your place in the scheme of things. Your job is to listen, do as you’re told, please your man and look sexy. And if you do a good job, you'll get to buy pretty things and hang out gossiping with the girls. It's an offer of a lifetime. What else you got going for you? Nothing. You ain’t got no skills, no money, no family. Nothing but that crap house. You're going to do what you’re told. Or, so help me, I'll make you.” He took a step towards her. “Plus you owe me for the car you stole and sold. Don’t think I forgot about it, baby. That’s fifty grand worth of dancing before I even consider calling us even.”
“In that case, you can give me back the money you borrowed over the years.”
His mask fell away. His face was cold and hard. The slap came out of nowhere as he backhanded her across her cheekbone. For a minute Jena couldn’t feel the pain over the shock of him hitting her. Grunt roared as he lunged towards Frank. Jena got there first. Her knee came up hard. Frank went down with a howl, clutching his most prized possessions as he did so.
“Grunt, deal with that asshole. We’re done with him,” Joe ordered as he followed Jena towards the exit.
Her face throbbed, but all she felt was shock.
“My pleasure,” Grunt said.
Jena heard a thump and looked over her shoulder in time to see Grunt knock his fist into Frank's face. The force sent Frank flying through the air. He hit his head on some rusted piece of crap and slumped to the floor.
“Don't run,” Joe told her. “We'll take you back. We're done here.”
“Consider that our resignation,” Grunt said.
He strode towards her as the doors flew open. Men rushed in. Jena spotted Matt a second before his fist hit Joe's jaw.
And then all hell broke loose.
28
Matt stepped back from Invertary police station’s one and only jail cell. With all the trouble happening in town, he needed more space to lock people up. Right now, he was stuck with one tiny room. He slid the viewing window open and glared at Frank. He sat on the plastic-covered foam pad that lay on the concrete shelf used as a bed. His expensive suit was ripped. His lip was bleeding and his eye was swollen.
�
��You’re gonna regret this,” Frank spat. “I want a lawyer.”
“And I want to go six months without someone coming into my town to piss me off. Guess we’re both out of luck.” Matt snapped the tiny door shut.
Let’s see how accommodating Frank becomes once he’s spent a night in the cell. The white-tiled room, with its tiny window and metal toilet in the corner, had a way of softening a man up.
With a hard smile, Matt strode towards his office, where Grunt and Joe were currently handcuffed to chairs and being watched over by Lake and his men. Not only did Matt need more cells, he needed more personnel. He almost laughed at the memory of him calling his job boring.
Jena was currently sitting on a high stool at the front desk. She had a blanket over her shoulders and was nursing a mug of hot chocolate. Matt nodded to her minder, Pete, to tell him he could go. Matt needed a minute with his woman.
Once the door closed behind Pete, Matt went around the counter. He took the mug out of Jena’s hands, wedged himself between her knees and wrapped his arms around her. He loved the way she snuggled into him, rubbing her cheek on his chest, as though she was trying to get as close as humanly possible.
“I’ve called Abby to come sit with you. I’d let you go home, but I can’t stand you being out of my sight right now.”
She pushed back to look up at him. Matt felt his whole body tense at the sight of her bruised cheek. He gently stroked the mark. She should never have been hurt. This was his fault. He should have been with her.
“I’m fine, Matt. Really.”
“They abducted you.” He had to force the words out of his mouth.
The fear he’d felt when Jena had been taken still lingered, and it was enough to overwhelm him if he let it loose.
“Go easy on Grunt and Joe, will you? It wasn’t their fault. It was Frank. He made them do it. They were trying to protect me.”
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